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SITE NAME
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Sredny Kayemvaam Stream, upper reaches of the Anadyr River, Chukotka, Russia
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| Contact details
(phone/fax//e-mail//address): |
| // dor_55@ibpn.ru // Institute of Biological problems of the North, Portovaya 18, Magadan, 685000, Russia
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PROJECT DETAILS |
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Start of survey:
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End
of survey: |
Team
size: |
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16.08
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30.08
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WEATHER
CONDITIONS
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Weather conditions: |
| A total area of approximately 100 km2 was surveyed in the "Kupol" gold-silver mining area during 16-30 August on foot, by car and by an all-terrain vehicle. The weather was unstable, and sunny days alternated with dull days with drizzle.
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| Date of ice-break on
rivers: |
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| Date of final loss of
snow: |
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BIOTIC
CONDITIONS
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| Rodents abundance evaluation: |
high
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Breeding conditions:
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Mammalian predators were rare in the area. Observations and interview data indicated that there were few Red Foxes (including a brood of 3 cubs), Wolves (3 animals), Brown Bears (an adult animal and a female with 2 cubs), one Wolverine and one Ermine. There were 2 single Elks, several Elk females with calves and small, up to 10-12 animals, herds of Reindeers.
Rough-legged Buzzards were common, and we often observed both adult birds and flying juveniles in late August. Workers at the mine found a nest of the Peregrine Falcon with 4 chicks on the same stony slope of the hill that had been previously used for breeding by falcons. A Gyrfalcon was recorded once. Long-tailed Skuas were not rare, presumably, due to the high abundance of small rodents. It is interesting that a pair of Snowy Owls probably bred in the area, as we found 2 flying juveniles and an empty owl nest. A Short-eared Owl was seen once, but the interview data indicated breeding of this species at the source of the Ozyornaya River.
Several broods of flightless duck chicks were found, including Pintail, White-winged Scoter, Harlequin Duck, Long-tailed Duck, and Red-breasted Merganser. We recorded 1 brood of Willow Grouse of 10-12 chicks and 5 broods of Rock Ptarmigans of 7-10 chicks, all accompanied by females. One pair of the Sandhill Crane probably nested, and another one was later found with a flying young. Juvenile passerine birds were common and gathered in flocks. All indirect evidence indicated the successful reproduction of birds in 2007.
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Rodent dynamics:
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| Based on captures with snap-traps the rodent abundance was high in 2007. Capture rates for Red-backed and North-siberian voles were 1 and 2% respectively in pebble herb-dwarf-shrub tundra, and 6 and 25% respectively in wet sedge-dwarf-shrub tundra. Capture rate for the Red-backed Vole was 17% in tussocky moss-sedge-cottongrass tundra. Large-eared Vole was relatively common. One Laxmann's Shrew was captured. The density of burrows of Arctic Ground Squirrels was 10-15 per 1 ha, and most burrows were inhabited.
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Rodent species recorded:
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| Latin | Abundance |
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| Clethrionomys rutilus | abundant |
| Microtus hyperboreus | abundant |
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Summary
of fauna studies: |
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